Adalbern, Apherus
'Character information' Biometrics Physical Appearance Family 'Personality & Traits' 'Biography' 'Youth and birthright' His Lordship Apherus Adalbern is the third son of Duke Grunnewald Adalbern of Valian and Duchess Willa of Bjornland. This puts him third in line to the Dukedom of Valian, a province of the Sieg Empire. Born to an ancient family of rank, Apherus' childhood was one of ease and plenty. His parents, being of the Ruling class, were caring but seldom present. He usually saw them at meals, shortly before bedtime, and at ceremonial functions. Apherus spent most of his time surrounded with servants and a nanny whom he loved dearly. He was afforded the best education money could buy in Valian. From the earliest, Apherus developed an avid interest in games of riddles and puzzle solving. With a strong analytic mind, his tutors saw a bright future for him, should fate somehow play in his favor. He became enamored with literature at a very young age, and by thecage of 8, he had already added quotes from the classical masters to his everyday speech. He also excelled at his fencing and marksmanship lessons. 'Early adulthood' Apherus was no fool. He knew full well that the odds of him actually ascending to the seat of power were very slim. In a way, he envied his older siblings, as no one noble-born would willfully forsake a chance to Rule, but he enjoyed tremendously the freedom he had in comparison to them. He had all the benefits of rank, a sizable allowance and was the master of his own destiny. The only obligation that was held to him was that he would do a tour of duty in the military, like every male of his lineage since the foundation of the Dukedom. 'Tour of duty' He elected to join the Imperial Flying Corps, hoping to "cruise the world and see it's wonders". He was therefore sent to the City of Sieg, where he received his basic training. He would start out as a Junior Lord-Officer and midshipman. He would literally learn all the rest "on the fly". For a whole year, he served on board the Imperial Sieg Air Frigate "Vanguard". His tour was, as expected, a success. He did quite well, and left with a high commendation from the Captain of the Frigate, citing him for gentlemanly conduct and bravery. He also praised him greatly for his handling of the "Keld Affair", and wrote a letter of recomendation to the Prevost Marshal. 'The Keld affair' Not too many things can be said to have had a deeper impact on Apherus than the "Keld affair". Arthus Keld was one of the rank and file on board the ISAF Vanguard. His duty was to see to the maintainance of the shipboard weapons. The man Keld had been found dead on the deck of the ship in the middle of the night. Gunfire had startled the deck officer, who had rushed in the direction of the sound. He found the body in a pool of blood, with a hole in the right side of his head. There was a revolver on the ground near his right hand. The smell of it clearly identified it as the weapon that had fired the bullet that lodged itself in Keld's head. The same officer, like any other might, dismissed the whole thing as a suicide, and submitted his report to the captain. It was, in apparence, an open and shut case. Apherus was also awakened by the gunshot. He rose from his bunk, put on some pants and his undershirt and dashed out to join the crowd of the curious. He took in the horrid sight with a calm that was uncomon. He knew Keld. They were not "friends", as the classes did not seem to mingle much on board the Vanguard, but he was on good terms with the man. An honest, conscientious man who loved his job. A few details caught Apherus' attention. He committed them to memory. The following day, he went to the man's bunk and went through his belongings. From under the man's pillow, he pulled out a diary. As Apherus leafed through the last entries, a smile formed on his face. As he went back to his room, he prepared another report which he hoped would get the attention of the captain. Keld did not kill himself. The report in question pointed out several details that had slipped the attention of the officer on watch: *Keld's pistol was among his belongings under his mattress. It was in remarkable shape. An older model, but cared for lovingly. If someone were to kill himself, he would not steal another man's weapon. Especially not if he posesses such a precise instrument of death. *The weapon found near the body was in poor condition. It was dull looking, so it had not been properly cleaned for some time. The wooden grip showed sign of wear and had probably been used as a makeshift hammer. No man who's duty was to care for weapons would have this as his sidearm. *There was no sign of powder burns. The ammunition therefore was fired from a certain distance. *The journal revealed that Keld had one vice. he played cards for money once every week with other crewmembers. That was illegal, but the rule was seldom enforced, and even officers have been known to play among themselves. A recent entry indicated that he had won a substential amount of money. The man they were looking for would be easy to find. He would be one of the men mentionned in Keld's diary, and would not be able to present his sidearm when asked. Professionnal life Apherus stayed for 5 years with the military police. He investigated several high-profile cases, and was regularly called upon as an expert in court-martials, but soon got bored with the all the bureaucracy. It is true that being a Lord-Officer did grant him a good measure of access, but even the privileges of rank won't shake away paperwork or Lord-Officers more senior than he was. After a final spectacular case, in a coup d'éclat he resigned from the military. With the fortune that was his by birthright, he bought a building in the heart of the City of Sieg, and had it transformed into an office on the main floor and luxurious apartments on the second. He became the self-proclaimed first consulting detective in the world. In this capacity, he could offer his services to whoever he wished, be the interests be military, constabulary or private. He could choose his cases and even dictate his own terms. By all accounts, he had found his place in the world. '"They came from outer space"' By the time the off-worlders arrived, he had made quite a name for himself, being involved in a number of newsworthy cases, but also because his services were also in demand in the realms outside the empire. Of the general population, he was among the first in the know. His network of informants included people from the Imperial Sciences Society, which had already told him of strange sightings near the moon. Another unidentified source, this time from within the House of Goverment, had said that the Empire, and not the State of Sieg, had opened diplomatic relations with a new political entity. A few letters later, he was added to the Valian delegation, and was one of the first men to leave Hyril. Category:Characters